The Republican takeover of the House was necessary to get the ball rolling, but smoldering taxpayer anger over Washington’s acceptance of illegal immigration has led states to consider enforcement measures modeled on Arizona’s law.
For two years the president and his congressional enablers focused on the importance of an amnesty bill, but they also gave Americans pause to consider the enormity of the problem their wrong-headed solution purported to solve. It was an enormous miscalculation to assume that taxpayers would agree to favor illegal immigrants with the rights and entitlements of citizens, or a grant of citizenship outright. In the end, the comprehensive amnesty bill we were threatened with never made it to the table. Only the DREAM Act received serious consideration, and it vanished last December.
With the ascent of a renewed GOP, taxpayers are rethinking the Democratic tendency to trade generosity for support at the polls. A growing number of states have taken up the call, and are considering slamming the door on giveaways to illegal immigrants.
State immigration proposals have their quirks, and some are better thought out than others. A bill drafted in Florida last year assumed legal presence for some individuals, such as Canadians and Europeans, opening the door to the racial profiling argument. A measure being considered in Texas gives a pass to illegal domestic help, perhaps so lawmakers can avoid replacing their maids and gardeners. Fortunately, the legislative process readily accepts change.
When it comes to heads-screwed-on-right legislation, Georgia wins the prize. There are a number of bills under consideration in the state, including House Bill 87, which is similar to the Arizona law and has been passed by Georgia’s House. The bill that sends the message fed-up taxpayers want to hear, however, comes from House Bill 59.
Introduced by Representative Tom Rice, HB 59 prohibits giving public benefits, including attendance at state colleges and universities, to those who cannot prove their eligibility by virtue of citizenship or legal immigration status. What stands out in HB 59, and has been wholly absent from the pro-amnesty rhetoric that has spewed from Washington Democrats, is the acknowledgment that public benefits have a value, and that eligibility comes from being a citizen or legal resident who funds those benefits. Illegal residents and their supporters demand rights and entitlements by virtue of their presence within our borders, and pandering to those demands with measures like Colorado’s ASSET bill (see: ASSET Subsidizes College for Illegals With Your Tax Dollars) devalues taxpayer-supported institutions and programs.
Many of the measures states are considering now were drafted last year, spurred by Arizona’s refusal to tolerate Washington’s tacit endorsement of illegal immigration. We hope to see more measures like HB 59 in the months to come. Georgia is offering taxpayers a bill that recognizes the value implicit in their tax dollars. With Washington continuing to hand out federal funds to states in need, we should all welcome legislation that limits unwarranted, undeserved giveaways.
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H.B. 59 does not cost the taxpayers money. Undocumented students who were brought here, through no fault of their own by their parents, pay OUT OF STATE tuition, which actually bolsters the funding for State run schools. These kids have been in this country most of their lives. There is a serious misunderstanding of the issue here.
Posted 31 Jan 2012 at 12:09 am ¶Agreed, John, HB 59 was designed to protect taxpayers, not cost them money. When students are brought to the U.S. by parents who are illegal immigrants, how do the parents legally support themselves, and presumably come up with the cost of tuition? If the “no fault of their own” argument is true, these college-bound students have already attended taxpayer-supported public schools prior to enrolling in college. Allowing public school attendance incentivizes illegal immigration and impacts taxpayers in areas of a state’s economy completely unrelated to education.
Posted 31 Jan 2012 at 6:32 am ¶Post a Comment